Home isn't a Place, It's a Feeling
by spicea11347
Summary: Nascha is a young woman who thought that there wasn't much left to her life. That she would be floated in a few weeks. But, when Jaha decides to send the 100 to the ground, she takes it as blessing, a miracle. She connects to the Earth in ways the others do not. It is her home. Will a certain man threaten the serenity she feels? Will she fight to save him? Eventually Bellamy/OC
1. Coming Home

**Author's Note****: Hi there everyone! I'm back! If you're a fan of my other work, I'm really sorry I haven't updated in years. I was drawn away from fanfics for a long while, but I'm back... Even though I'm working on something new. I do hope you you enjoy this, and I would love some feedback on it. I still hate summaries - they're too short to capture the story... Anyways, I also am unsure of the title...  
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**Disclaimer****: The 100 is not of my creation and is owned by the CW network. I do not profit off this fanfic and anything that seems new, such as Nascha, is of my own creation.**

Chanting. Even now, as she awoke, young Nascha could hear it. The words were jumbled in her head. Words she barely knew. They were foreign to her, but yet they seemed familiar somehow. They were spoken in an old language, one that only two people on the Ark knew. And those two didn't know much of it. She was one of them and her father the other. It was the language of the Diné, or Navajo as most called them. Nascha's father would never let her say 'Navajo' when describing 'her' people. But they weren't her people. Modern civilization destroyed their culture hundreds of years ago. The fact that there were only two people left with this lineage just proves it.

Nascha sat up from the small, firm bed that had been provided in the cell. She tried to recall as much of the strange dream as she could, even though it was quickly becoming more and more blurry. There was dancing, lots of dancing. People she had never seen before danced around a fire with as much soul and passion that they could muster. And she was dancing. Her limbs moved frantically, and rather messily, to a rhythm that wasn't there. There was also a man who was chanting and shaking some type of rattle. It seemed as if the ceremony was for her. She was somewhat by herself in the large group, but it seemed as though the people were making an effort to dance around her. Then they marked her. Some type of paint was used to create lines upon her face as the man continued to chant.

She was still trying to make sense of this dream of hers as she stood from her bed and stretched her sore back. The bed wasn't that comfortable. But, then again, what did she expect in a prison cell. She raised her arms above her head and stretched as far as she could, which earned her a few pops of protest from her spine.

Nothing came to mind as to what would bring on such a strange dream, "What did they slip into my soup last night?" she mumbled, as she went about combing through the knots in her hair with her fingers.

It was a tedious and rather vain thing to do, considering she was locked away – thankfully not in solitary though – but it was something that made her feel better. Combing her hair was something she did simply for the peaceful movements. And, let's be honest, she loved how her hair felt afterwards. As soon as most of the knots were out, Nascha threw her auburn-red hair into a messy braid, which eventually stopped below her shoulder blades.

As she popped her neck, she heard a noise from the front of her cell as blue lights turned on. In walked two guards, men whose names she had never bothered to learn. Nascha gave them a funny look. An eyebrow raised as she now tried to figure out what they were doing. Rarely did guards come into a prisoner's cell. Usually it was only for when a juvenile prisoner was about to be reviewed. She wasn't supposed to be review for another month or so. So, the question remained.

Why are they here?

"Prisoner seven-eleven, face the wall," one of the men ordered.

Nascha, though still confused, did as instructed, "Has Jaha decided to move up reviews now? Clear out some of the trash?" she asked, only half-jokingly.

It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest. In truth, what was the point of locking up teenager delinquents, when they'll only be floated anyway? It's rare for anyone to be pardoned; especially when, those who committed the crimes can't offer much that would benefit the Ark.

"Quiet," the guard ordered, "Hold out your right arm."

Nascha looked over her shoulder to see one of the guards opening a black box that seemed to house metal wristbands, "Aww, you're giving me a bracelet? How sweet. But, metal isn't really my style."

If she was going to die, why not be a bit sassy? As soon as Nascha was caught, she had accepted her fate that she would more than likely be floated. Well, maybe not at first. But, she's almost had a year to come to grips with it. She had made peace with her demons and her fears. She would hold her head high, and neither kick nor scream when they would drag her to the airlock chamber.

"Shut up," the second guard barked at her; apparently, he didn't find it nearly as funny as she did.

The second guard came towards her and shoved her into the wall, putting his full weight against her back as he held out her arm. The blue-eyed woman had to fight back the urge to ram her heel into his foot or her elbow into his nose. Neither of those options would have proved beneficial to her. But still, she was complying. No need to be rough. The first guard came over with the bracelet. Now that it was close enough, Nascha could see little prongs sticking out of it. She had a bad feeling about it, and wasn't too keen with the idea of it going on her wrist. The second guard held her in place as it was fastened onto her wrist.

She winced slightly, hissing at the momentary pain of the prongs sinking into her flesh. Now, she was even more confused. Guards had never done this for someone about to be reviewed and floated.

"What the hell is going on?" Nascha decided to voice her concerns as the guards all but dragged her out of her room.

They didn't answer her, which didn't surprise her. They weren't really known for talking so much as beating people into submission. When she was finally forced out of her cell, Nascha noticed that all of the prisoners in the Skybox – every single one of them – were receiving the same treatment.

_They're gonna float us all, all at once_, she thought with mild horror and surprise.

One of the guards shoved her, in order to keep her moving. Stumbling slightly at the harder-than-necessary encouragement, Nascha complied and began to walk to wherever the hell they were taking them. She began to look around, almost frantically, seeing if anyone might have a clue as to what might be going on. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a pair of goggles, and a smile broke across her tan skin.

"Jasper!" she yelled in hopes to get his attention.

It seemed to do the trick, because he began to swivel his head back and forth, trying to find the source. When his brown eyes landed on her, a matching smile stretched across his face.

"Nasch!" he called her by her 'nickname', "What's going on?"

"I was just about to ask you that," she called back, "Where's Monty?"

He shrugged his shoulders as his guards shoved him forward, "I don't know," he called over his shoulder.

Nascha was about to look for the Asian boy when the guards behind her shoved her through various doors and walkways. She honestly had no idea where they were going. But, it was definitely in the opposite direction of the airlock chamber that was used to float people. So, maybe they weren't being floated. Though, that still didn't help her in determining what was going on. She didn't recognize the corridors they were being lead down. But, wherever it was, it was apparently away from civilians. Nascha hadn't seen a single person outside of the prisoners.

When the mass of people reached a certain set of doors, it seemed as if chaos had erupted amongst them. No one could tell what was going on. Nascha had lost sight of Jasper and that worried her more than anything. She was alarmed, and though she would never admit it to anyone else, she was a bit frightened. Having Jasper and Monty by her side would at least make things easier for her. They had been her only true friends on the Ark. When she finally reached the doors, she realized the prisoners were being forced onto a ship. Her guards shoved her inside with the rest of them.

They forced her over to a wall and relief was evident on her face as she saw the two people she cared for more than anyone. There was an open spot next to them and that was where her guards shoved her. One of them went about strapping her into some type of harness. Nascha really didn't care, she had her friends. She was strapped next to Jasper and when the guards finished, they left without another word.

"Nasch!" both of them exclaimed, the same relief evident on their faces as well.

"Monty, Jasper," she sighed.

"Where are they sending us?" Jasper questioned, swiveling his head left and right to look at his friends.

Monty was the first to answer, "Where else? The ground."

"Seriously?" Nascha exclaimed, "They said it wouldn't be inhabitable for another one hundred years. Why now? Why us?"

Neither of the boys had an answer to that. Glancing around, Nascha realized that all the prisoners were strapped in and that all the guards were gone. Wherever they were going, they were about to leave. Nascha grabbed Jasper's hand tightly. He looked down at their hands, then back up at his friend's face. He smiled – trying to reassure Nascha – and squeezed her hand.

"Don't tell me you're scared," he teased.

"Shut up," Nascha grumbled, though a smile was still breaking across her face.

All the prisoners sat there for a moment – not that they had much of a choice anyway – albeit, not so quietly. Everyone was talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was happening. It was clear that no one was really certain as to what was going on. As Nascha looked around at all the young faces, she noticed a few she knew, and many that she didn't. It was then that she realized that there were a ton of prisoners. Just how many though, she couldn't say.

The ship began to shake somewhat, and Nascha suddenly felt the gravitational force acting upon her. They were moving. They must have just been launched from the Ark, because in a matter of a few minutes, the ship stabilized somewhat. Nascha shared a glance with Monty and then with Jasper. It was actually happening. They were going to Earth. Monty was right; where else would they send them? Nowhere else was even habitable. The Earth at least had a chance. A slim chance. Better than none, though.

Suddenly, there was a loud, crisp beeping noise that reverberated off the interior walls of the ship. Some didn't halt in their conversations amongst one another, but some did. The trio on the wall fell into the latter group. They glanced around, trying to find the source of the very harsh sound. It stopped soon after, but in its place, T.V monitors flickered on with Jaha's face plastered on them. Nascha hadn't even noticed the monitors earlier – then again, she had other things on her mind that preoccupied her attention. There happened to be a monitor above Jasper, and the auburn-red haired woman took a second to see if she could crane her neck enough to see the monitor. Alas, it was futile. So, Nascha, Monty, and Jasper went about trying to see another monitor. Nascha had to lean drastically to her left in order to see any monitor.

"You know I love you, Nasch, but isn't this a bit much?" Jasper joked, referencing how the woman was leaning upon him.

Nascha didn't even reply; she simply slapped a hand upon his mouth to keep him from talking. She wanted to hear what the Chancellor had to say.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now," the Chancellor began, sounding grave and stoic, "You have been given a second chance and as your Chancellor it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us. Indeed, for mankind itself."

_What is he going on about?_ Nascha had to wonder as something wet and slimy was sliding across the palm of her hand.

She quickly remembered that she had tried shutting up her friend, and that he must have been annoyed and taken matters into his own hands. Nascha removed her hand from Jasper's face and she could see his saliva glistening in the fluorescent lights of the ship. The woman had a look that was a mix of disgust and incredulous and turned it on Jasper. The boy had a wide smile spread across his lips that caused the woman to roll her eyes. Monty had witnessed the exchange between his two friends and couldn't but laugh ever so slightly.

Wiping her wet and disgusting hand on Jasper's jacket, which earned her a 'gross' from the boy, Nascha tuned back in to what the Chancellor was saying, "We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would have sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you… _expendable_."

"Your dad's a dick, Wells," some guy yelled across the ship.

Besides the Chancellor's words leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, Nascha was also surprised. Wells was on the ship heading to Earth? The Chancellor's son? Why the hell was he on a ship full of _expendable_ prisoners?

The blue-eyed woman didn't have a chance to really think on the matter as she tuned back in to the Chancellor, "If, however, you do survive, those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean."

Those blue eyes widened at his words. Their records would be wiped clean? Nascha could feel the eyes of her friends on her and she turned their way. Both of their faces mirrored the surprise she felt. The woman could see the excitement start to seep into their eyes at the mere thought of being forgiven. Nascha didn't feel the same joy as they did, though. Would they truly be forgiven? And if they were, did she want to be a part of a society that would have floated her for merely defending herself? In truth, Nascha didn't know how she felt and if she wanted to be 'forgiven' by the Council.

As the woman thought about what she wanted, she tuned back into the Chancellor, "The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain."

The flicker on the screen did not go by unnoticed by the auburn-red haired woman. She didn't take it for much, seeing as the ship they were on was close to a hundred years old. It shouldn't be too surprising if the connection between it and the Ark was weak.

"It was to be stocked with enough nonperishables to sustain three-hundred people up to two years," the Chancellor continued as the ship began to shake ever so slightly.

Nascha tried to pay attention to what the Chancellor was saying if only to find out where to get some food. Alas, she couldn't concentrate as a boy in a green beanie began to float through the air.

Someone called out, "Spacewalk bandit strikes again," and the woman knew exactly who it was.

Finn Collins. Almost everyone knew everyone's business. Finn was the boy who wasted a month's supply of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk. The kid had style, Nascha had to admit with a smirk upon her lips. After mentally congratulating the boy on his style, she tried to listen to what the Chancellor was still rambling on about on Mount Weather. It was proving futile though. Everyone was talking now, many of whom gasping and applauding Finn. From Nascha's position, she could see two other prisoners trying to remove their harnesses in order to follow Collins' lead. She rolled her blue eyes at their antics and turned towards her two friends. At this point, her eyes nearly popped out of her head, like in an old cartoon. Jasper was also trying to undo his harness with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"What are you doing?" she all but hissed at him as her hand lashed out and grabbed the safety straps, preventing him from removing them.

"What does it look like? Come on. It looks like fun," Jasper complained, trying to pull Nascha's hand away.

Nascha had always been stronger than Jasper and Monty – though, it wasn't necessarily her fault. Either way, Jasper couldn't remove the woman's hand and she simply glared at the man.

"Jasper, they're idiots. When the parachute-" she began, but was quickly interrupted by the boy on the other side of Jasper.

"When the parachutes deploy and the retrorockets are activated, you'll be sent flying. If you hadn't noticed, this ship's made out of metal. If you're flung at a great enough velocity, you could kill yourself," Monty quickly explained as he too held onto Jasper's harness.

Physics had always been a forte of Monty's, not Nascha, so she welcomed his interruption and explanation. If Jasper would listen to anybody about this, he would listen to Monty. And he did. His face fell slightly and he released his hold on his harness. His two friends shared a small smile, glad that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. Well, stupider than normal.

Nascha turned her attention back to the T.V. in hopes to catch the last of the Chancellor's message, but it was cut short. The television went black as the ship started to shake rather violently. The woman hadn't noticed during their conformation with Jasper that the ship had begun to rattle somewhat. That's probably why Nascha was able to ignore it so easily. The rattling was barely there, something she could push to the back of her mind. But now, she couldn't ignore it if she tried.

There was a jolt suddenly and nearly everyone lurched in their harnesses against the harsh movement. Nascha's eyes widened as the two boys, who had followed Finn out of their seats and the ringleader himself, were flung in front of her and straight into the wall of the dropship. The two boys had flown into some piping and tubing causing them to break. Smoke and steam were released from the piping and there were sparks flying. The trio against the wall turned their heads in hopes to shield themselves from the sparks.

Her hands latched onto her own harness as she began to breathe rapidly, "Why aren't the retrorockets kicking in?" Monty began to mumble to himself, as he gripped his safety harness tightly.

Nascha was never one to be frightened easily, but she could honestly say she was scared to death. Well, scared of death at least. The prospect of falling through the sky and either burning up in the atmosphere or impacting the ground at terminal velocity was very intimidating. The woman tried to focus on her breathing, anything to keep her mind off the possibility of death.

The first thing that came to mind was a song her mother used to sing to calm her when she was upset, _Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where they strung up a man, they say who murdered three._

As she began to recite the song in her head, Nascha could feel her heart slowing and her breathing coming in regular intervals. The noise of the other delinquents and the rattling of the ship faded into the background. The song always helped her. The woman hadn't noticed that her eyes had slid shut as she began to panic, but now, she opened them and looked around the dropship. Everyone was frightened and unsure if they'd survive long enough to make it to Earth. This time, it was Jasper's hand that reached out for Nascha's; he found comfort in being with his two best friends, even if it would be the last time.

Suddenly, the dropship jolted. It was a clear sign that the retrorockets had _finally_ activated. It didn't seem to be enough to stabilize the ship though. It shook violently for a couple more seconds until it crashed into something solid. Looking around the interior, Nascha made a quick assumption that they hadn't been going too fast when they landed since there didn't seem to be any damage. It was right after she came to this conclusion that the dropship stood still and the machines powered down.

It was quiet for a moment as everyone got their bearings, until Monty spoke up, "Listen," both Jasper and Nasch turned to him, "No machine hum."

When his words sank in, the auburn haired woman realized how odd it was to not hear anything mechanical. All their lives they had lived on a metal space station where the hum of machines and equipment was all but common placed. The silence was odd. But, it comforted Nascha. She felt at peace now.

As Jasper glanced around the ship, confirming what the Asian boy had said, he chuckled slightly, "Whoa… That's a first."

Though everyone seemed to have their own thoughts swimming about their head, the girl noticed a few people nodding along to what her goggle-clad friend had said. Nascha took a few deep breaths as she calmed herself down. Echoing across the large hull was a symphony of clicks as she felt the straps of her harness loosen. When she looked down, the buckle in the center had un-fasten itself. Slowly slipping it off, she looked to her friends who cautiously did the same. She stood by them for a moment as she rubbed the side of her neck. She realized that she had tensed up for most of the re-entry and that the jostling of the ship had made her neck rather stiff. Nascha turned to look around the dropship as the other teenagers removed themselves from their harnesses.

Her blue eyes caught a blonde girl rush over to the two boys who had been flung into the wall. Nascha knew of the blonde. If she remembered correctly, her name was Clarke – she had always thought it a boy's name, which is the only reason she remembered it. Finn was already there, checking the condition of one of the boys. Nascha assumed they were discussing the two boys as she saw their lips move. She was no doctor, but she would guess they were dead. They hadn't moved or so much as made a groan since their accident. They were completely unresponsive. Nascha turned away from the scene and back towards her friends as she came to the same realization as Finn and Clarke.

Before she could say a word to the boys, someone called out across the hull, "The outer door is on the lower level. Let's go."

She saw her friends' eyes light up with excitement at the prospect of stepping foot on Earth. A goofy grin was on Jasper's face and Nascha couldn't help but laugh. The three began to follow the crowd towards the ladder at the back. Behind them, she could hear the girl from before, Clarke, yelling on about not opening the doors. The auburn haired woman didn't pay much mind as she followed Monty down the ladder. The boys were waiting for her on the ground, but Nascha decided to hang onto the ladder.

The woman wasn't the tallest girl on the ship, and she knew she wouldn't be able to see all the way in the back. So, she used the height advantage from the ladder to see over everyone. From there, she could see a tan man ushering everyone away from the door. Nascha stared him down for a while, but in the end, she couldn't place him in her memory. Nearly everyone in the Skybox had at least some contact with each other. She didn't want the brag, but the blue-eyed woman had a great memory – at least compared to Monty and Jasper's – and she had never seen the boy at the front before. Add in the fact that she could see he was wearing a guard's uniform only supported her theory that he wasn't a delinquent like them.

Before she could figure anything else out, Clarke came down one of the other two ladders, shouting for them to stop. Everyone turned to look at her as she shoved her way through the crowd.

"Who put her in charge?" Nascha asked snidely, before realizing she actually said that rather loudly.

She wasn't always aware of how loud she was, and apparently this time, she wasn't that discrete. Monty and Jasper tried to stifle their laughter; they were used to Nascha's blunt, and even harsh persona and they, for whatever reason, found it funny when she would make a slip up like she just did. With a small frown in place, she gently nudged the two with her foot in order to shush them.

"The air could be toxic," Clarke continued as she marched forwards to stand in front of the man with black hair, which was slicked back.

The man didn't back down from the confrontation, and answered rather calmly and confidently, "If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway."

_He does have a point_, Nascha thought with a small shrug.

It wasn't a point she necessarily liked, but it was true. Whether they stayed inside or not, if the air was toxic it would begin to seep in through the minute cracks and crevices of the ship. A small movement below her caught her eye, so Nascha turned to see what it was. It was Monty shrugging his shoulders slightly. That was usually a sign of his when he thought through what was said and agreed with it. So the two had come to the same conclusion.

It looked like his words had stumped Clarke, and he went to open the door once more, "Bellamy?"

The man turned his head, along with everyone else on the ship. Everyone was looking for the source of the voice. The man, Bellamy apparently, looked over his shoulder to the woman on the last of the three ladders. As Nascha looked over to her, she was a little taken a back by the other. Even she had to admit the woman was gorgeous. She would even bet that she could have any guy – and probably a few girls – that she wanted. She had dark brown hair that fell to about her collarbones and tan skin that matched Bellamy's. Nascha could only see the woman's profile, but she had sharp, yet graceful features.

She watched curiously as the woman climbed down the ladder and walked towards the man. People seemed to part for her and watched in wonder as she stood before him. The auburn girl heard someone mention that she was the girl that was hidden beneath the floor. She gasped ever so softly at that. Nascha had remembered hearing about that incident a month or so before she was arrested. It was quite the scandal and controversy. The biggest one in the time she had been around, and possibly since the Ark had been in orbit. This caused her interest to be piqued as she watched on.

"My god," the man began as he looked upon the brown haired woman, "Look how big you are," he finished with a friendly smile.

Nascha couldn't see the woman's face, but she saw the hug and realized the two had to have known each other. And obviously well since hey seemed very close. When they finally broke the hug, she could hear them talk about the guard's uniform and how he borrowed it. Nascha raised an eyebrow at this and looked down only to make eye contact with both of her friends. They wore similar expressions that questioned the validity of that statement.

The auburn haired woman looked back up as Clarke spoke again, "Where's your wristband?"

Nascha rolled her eyes and groaned out, "Ugh. Can't you just give them a minute?"

With a slap to her shin from Jasper, who was again trying to contain his laughter, Nascha realized that wasn't as quiet as she originally intended. Some heads around them turned to look at her as well as the dark haired woman up front – who even offered up a small smile - and she simply shrugged it off.

"Do you mind?" the woman began rather hotly, "I haven't seen my brother in a year," she finished, somewhat snarling at the blonde woman.

It was then that everything really clicked and she remembered. Bellamy and Octavia Blake. The only set of living siblings that were onboard the Ark. They had hid her under the floorboards for most of her life because she was an illegal child. Nascha remembered that their mom had been floated, because it occurred only two weeks before she was arrested.

As she worked things out in her head, she heard someone exclaim, "That's Octavia Blake! The girl they found hidden in the floor!"

It would seem Nascha wasn't the only one who quickly came to that conclusion. As soon as the girl voiced her knowledge, Octavia reared around with fire in her eyes. She went to lunge at whoever said it and was barely held back by her brother. A snarl came upon her lips and her eyes searched frantically for whoever spoke.

Bellamy tried to calm down his hot-head of a sister, "Octavia, Octavia no. Let's give them something else to remember you by."

Nascha was curious as to where this was going, and apparently so was Octavia, "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years."

That seemed to calm her down. At this, Nascha descended the rest of the ladder and stood by her friends. If they were about to open the doors, she wanted to be ready for it. She grabbed both of their hands and weaved them through the crowd so they stood closer to the front. She wanted a front row seat to this. From this view, she could even see the smile that stretched across the tan woman's face at the idea her brother offered up. And with that, Bellamy turned to face the door as he pulled down on the lever that operated it. As the door lowered to the ground, a bright light temporarily blinded Nascha –as well as everyone else. She released her friends' hands as she went to cover her blue eyes.

It took a few seconds and probably a hundred blinks later before her eyes began to adjust to the bright world. As soon as they did and she could see clearly, she stood in awe. Never had she seen so much green in her life. Trees reached like fingers towards a clear and blue sky. Grass covered most of the ground and the rest was covered with dirt. Nascha never thought she'd be so excited to see dirt, but here she was. She could hear the calls of birds that had been startled by the ship's landing. If she closed her eyes, she could pick out different and distinct songs as well as other wildlife scampering across the ground floor. Ferns and shrubs probably stood as tall as her hips. Nascha took a few deep breaths of the clean air – though, for all she knew, it could just kill her. Her lungs soaked in the fresh air greedily and begged for more. She hadn't realized how stale the air on the Ark was until she compared it to the fresh and natural air on Earth.

"We're home," she uttered under her breath.

As she looked around at her fellow delinquents, she realized they were all doing what she had just done. Even Octavia who stood at the front of the pack. As she walked down the ramp, Nascha noticed that Bellamy had his arm out ever so slightly. He was keeping others at bay so his sister could be the first one to step foot on Earth, just like he told her. Since they couldn't move forward, everyone simply watched as the tan woman slowly made her way down the ramp. As she stopped at the end of it, she took a confident leap and jumped onto the solid ground. Nascha could feel her own heart start to race at the prospect of being able to walk on solid ground for the first time in her life. As Octavia turned her head slightly to look around, the auburn haired woman could see the giant smile on her face, which in turn caused her to smile.

After a moment of silence, Nascha could hear the sharp intake of air over the silence as Octavia raised up both of her arms, "We're back, bitches!" she all but screamed.


	2. Choosing Sides

**It took some time, but here's the second chapter! I hope you guys enjoy, and I hope more people will review *wink wink, nudge nudge***

Octavia's outburst caused the blue-eyed woman to laugh as everyone began to scream and run off the dropship. Monty and Jasper were among those who bolted. Nascha, on the other hand, walked off the ramp slowly, and gently placed her feet on the ground. She noted the contrast between the lush, green ground and her black, lace-up boots. They just didn't seem to belong in this world. For a quick second, she contemplated what it would feel like to have the grass between her toes, to feel the grains of dirt on her feet. The woman quickly threw that idea out when she realized that the various rocks and the rough terrain would tear up her feet if she didn't wear shoes. She looked up as the other teenagers ran about like chickens with their heads cut off, but it brought a smile to her face. Everyone was excited to be on the ground. She was no exception. To her left, she quickly found her best friends shoving each other excitedly.

As she got close to them, she could hear them mumbling to each other, "I can't believe we're here. It's so cool. This can't be real."

Nascha laughed as she walked up behind them and slung an arm around each of their necks, "It's something isn't it?" she asked, inclining her head towards the forest in front of them.

"You can say that again," Monty muttered, turning his head as much as possible to admire the scenery before them.

"I'm gonna go for a walk you guys," Nascha informed them as she moved to stand in front of them.

"Why?" the boys asked in sync.

She didn't answer for a moment, but soon she turned around with a big smile on her tan face, "Because… I can."

The idea that she could do something for no other reason than she wanted to was foreign to her, but it enticed her so much. Her blue eyes locked onto her friends, tacitly asking if they were coming with her.

"I think I'll stay behind," Jasper began, "Just to get used to it all."

"Same here," Monty seconded.

It didn't bother Nascha any as she shrugged her shoulders, "Your loss. I'll be back in a few," she called to them as she turned towards the forest before her.

Excitement lit up her eyes as Nascha took her first few steps. She had no idea what lay ahead of her and that didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She set her course away from the other rambunctious teens – she didn't want them disturbing her newfound peace. She quickly made her way through the small clearing that was created from when the dropship landed and she soon stood before the unknown woods. She only hesitated for a second before she stepped between two towering trees and continued on. The terrain was uneven and it took awhile before she could find her bearings as she walked. Nascha trekked over hills and rocks as her blue eyes scanned every inch of the forest. Her eyes turned upwards towards the bright sky as she stopped by a moss-covered tree. Much of the blue sky she had seen while at the dropship was covered and obscured by the canopy created by the branches and leaves of the trees around her. She placed a tan hand upon the tree beside her and closed her eyes. Nascha clenched and unclenched the soft and squishy moss, letting it get between her fingers.

Even though she had felt moss before when she had gone to the Argo station when she went to visit Monty and Jasper, there was just something different. Something about the organic life on the Ark felt so fake. But, here, on Earth, Nascha knew now what it should have felt like. This was real. She opened her eyes and looked around. She had traveled far enough away from the others to not be able to see a trace of the dropship. Nascha smiled at that fact. The idea of machinery in such a perfect world – in her opinion – seemed to demine and obstruct from its beauty.

Movement just above her caught the auburn-haired girl's attention, causing her to avert her gaze. She saw leaves rustling and followed the trail until she spotted a blue colored bird. Nascha remembered many things from her Earth Skills classes, and things her father taught her. The bird above her, though ever so slightly different, looked a lot like a Blue Jay, if she recalled. As she looked upon the Blue Jay, she realized that it was looking at her. Gazing at her from the side, it tilted its head slightly and she and the bird had a bit of a stare down. She would cock her head, and in turn, the bird would move its head. After playing this game for a minute, Nascha laughed. The sudden noise startled the bird, and it took off, deeper into the forest. She couldn't help it. It just amused her that the bird had been mimicking her.

Nascha took a few deep breaths, relishing in the tranquility that washed over her as she stood amongst nature. She had never been so at peace, and in truth, she didn't really understand why she was so in the middle of a land that could potentially kill her. But, alas, here she was. She stood for a moment longer just taking in the breathtaking sight before her before she decided to head back and regroup with Jasper and Monty. She had promised them she'd only be a few minutes anyway. With that, she turned on her heel and proceeded the way she came. Her footing was a lot more confident the second time and she didn't need to keep her gaze on the ground.

As she approached the dropship, the teenagers were still just as wild as when she had left them. Then again, it wasn't like she was expecting them to calm down any. This was the first chance at freedom any of them had had in who knows how long. They were going to live it up. She didn't exclude herself from them in that regard. Looking around, Nascha tried to find her friends amongst the chaos. Normally, she was fairly decent at picking at least Jasper out in a crowd, but she wasn't having any such luck. She furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to scan the crowd. Still, no sign of them. As she looked for a third time she was able to spot Wells. He was the only one Nascha really knew, even if she didn't know the privileged well.

She approached the dark-skinned man who was throwing sticks and small branches into a pile, "Hey, Wells. Have you seen Jasper or Monty?"

The Chancellor's son turned to her and seemed rather surprised, "Uh, yeah. They just left with Clarke and some others to get food from Mount Weather."

"Seriously?" she asked, becoming a little irritated with her friends, "I told them I would be gone for a few minutes and they up and leave me… Those dicks."

She fumed slightly to herself as Wells offered up a small smile, "You know, for your own safety, you shouldn't be seen with me."

At this, Nascha stopped her muttering and curses that were directed towards her two idiot friends and gave the boy a questioning gaze, "And why is that?"

"People aren't too happy with me for what my father has done," he answered, casting his gaze downwards.

Nascha could understand that. Though, unlike many of the delinquents in the group, she had never had a family member floated. She didn't harbor the same hatred for the man. She had enough hatred towards her own father that she couldn't spare enough for the Chancellor. She was upset and infuriated that she had been arrested for merely defending herself against an unwanted and unprovoked assault, though, but Nascha understood why those rules and laws were in place on the Ark. She didn't like them, but the rational part of her brain knew they were needed.

"I have no reason to hate you for what your father has done. You are your own person, not your father. I don't even really know you, so I can't say how I feel towards you, but, for now, I don't hate you," Nascha explained to the man once she had figured out her own thoughts.

Wells kind of snorted at that, "You'd be the first," he finished with a small chuckle.

At that moment, his face grew grave and his eyes hardened at something over Nascha's shoulder. She turned her head slightly to see two boys approaching them. One of them had tan skin and short black hair while the other reminded the girl of a frog. The frog-like one had a smirk on his face as he whipped his mouth slightly. Nascha picked up on the rudimentary blade in the boy's hand and realized things weren't as carefree as when she had left.

_I'm going to have to find something for myself_, she thought of looking around the dropship for anything that would suffice as a weapon.

"Find any water, Wells?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Not yet. But I'm heading back out if you want to come," the dark-skinned boy in front of Nascha answered quickly.

The frog didn't really seem to be paying attention to what he said and was glancing at something to the right of Wells. By this time, Nascha had turned around to stand on Wells' other side in order to keep the two boys in front of her. But she did glance over to see what held their attention. On the side of the dropship, carved crudely into the metal was the phrase, 'First son, First to Dye'. Nascha snorted and tried to contain her laughter. She wasn't a fool and knew it was meant to be a threat for Wells, but she just couldn't take it seriously with the wrong word. Wells on the other hand didn't find it nearly as funny.

His face remained stoic as he brushed past the two boys, "You spelled die wrong, geniuses."

_So maybe he did find it a bit funny_, Nascha thought to herself as she too went to walk past the boys.

Something about frog-boy gave her a bad feeling. She had no idea why and no reason to not trust him, but her gut told her not to. The auburn-haired woman has always had a bad tendency of judging people too quickly, but maybe there's a reason. Rarely had her instincts lead her astray. She just wished she knew what that reason was.

Nascha pulled herself out of her thoughts just in time to avoid a collision with the one she knew as Bellamy. Up close, she realized that her previous assumption that the boy's hair was black was wrong. It was actually a very dark brown and it looked more like Octavia's in the natural light of the sun. Bellamy's dark eyes sized her up as she stood before him for a moment. Then, a smirk as dark as his eyes stretched onto his face as he crossed his arms. Nascha couldn't track why his expression changed and was confused as to what caused it. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she maintained eye contact with the taller man.

"So, have you sided with the Prince and Princess?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sides?" Nascha asked, a little surprised, "What are we, five?" she countered.

Bellamy scoffed at her naivety, "We're all gonna have to choose sides, sooner or later. You better choose the right one. I'm only warning you, 'cause you stood up for O back on the dropship."

"I appreciate the warning," Nascha retorted, before sidestepping the tan boy and making her way to the dropship.

As she walked away, the auburn-haired woman wondered how he knew it was her who was making snide remarks towards Clarke when she had interrupted the Blake's little reunion. Nascha threw a glance over her shoulder towards the tall man and realized he was now talking to the frog and the other boy as she wondered if she was really that loud. If she didn't think about being quiet and discrete, she most certainly wasn't.

Figuring she'd deal with that issue another time, Nascha continued to the dropship. Not many people were near the dropship, she assumed it was because everyone wanted to explore and just enjoy being on the ground. The auburn-haired woman couldn't blame them in the slightest, and in all honesty she would be doing the same thing, but she needed to arm herself. If others had weapons, she needed one as well. She wouldn't be unprepared if something were to happen. Once inside the dropship, Nascha scanned the area to look for anything that could make a suitable blade. She would need something small and durable, to a degree. Glancing around she noticed a lever off in the far distance on the floor. An approving smile came upon her face as she approached it.

_I wonder if it does anything_, she pondered for a moment, before pulling the lever.

When nothing happened, she shifted it back into its original position. When it still made no indication of doing anything, Nascha smirked. Though she was slightly confused why there was a lever that didn't do anything, she really didn't question it too much. She needed a weapon. She tested its strength by pulling it side to side. There was a little wiggle room but not enough for her to simply pull it out.

"Well, my legs are stronger than my arms," the blue-eyed woman mumbled to herself as she sat down in front of the lever.

She placed her hands behind her for balance as she brought her left leg to her chest before putting all her weight and force into a kick. She was aiming for the fulcrum – the spot where the lever was connect to the ground. Nascha remembered Monty mentioning it's supposed to be the weakest point… Or she could have that backwards. After a few kicks she was beginning to the think the later. Getting a bit frustrated with her lack of results, Nascha placed her weight in her hands, her ass no longer touching the ground, and brought her knee to her chest. She took a couple of deep breathes before she pulled her knee back even further and put everything she had into one powerful kick. A loud crack echoed through the dropship followed by a few clanks as the lever clambered on the floor. Sighing, Nascha flopped onto her back, a smile quickly appearing on her face.

Raising her arms above her head, Nascha gave a triumphant shout. Slowly but surely, she picked herself up from the ground and retrieved the now broken piece of metal. It was a bit longer than her hand. The end wasn't very sharp, but she could fix that by filing it down, which she planned to do at that moment. Turning around, she released a soft, startled gasp as she saw Bellamy standing at the archway where the door was. He was giving her a questioning look.

_He probably heard me shout_, Nascha thought as she realized she really needed to work on being quiet.

"What are you doing there, Red?" he asked as he began to approach.

_Red?_ She thought, _My hair's not that red_, "Just getting a weapon."

"Why would you need one?"

Nascha stood there for a moment and clenched the crude blade in her hand tightly, "A gal needs to protect herself."

Soon, the tan man stood before her, towering over her shorter frame, "And what do you need to protect yourself from?"

"From anything and everything," she answered quickly and vaguely, tossing a small smirk in his direction.

Nascha wasn't going to let on about what, or more specifically whom, she needed to protect herself from. She had seen him talking to the frog, the one who had the knife, and she didn't know why. She just had to be cautious for the time being.

"If you don't mind, this isn't going to be of much use, until I sharpen it," Nascha started, lifting the blade up as to prove her point, "So, I should probably get on that."

She left it as that as she raised her free hand to give Bellamy a small wave. As she moved to pass him, Bellamy turned to the side in order to let her pass. Giving a small nod of thanks, Nascha exited the dropship and made her way through the clearing that was created by the ship's landing. Her blue eyes scanned the field looking for something that would work to shape and sharpen her weapon of choice. She knew she'd either need a small flat rock or a large flat and smooth rock. Her crude blade did have a point, but it wasn't triangular. It wouldn't work as a double-edge knife, she realized, simply a single-edge weapon. Which suited her fancy anyway. As she continued to look around, Nascha noticed a few boulders off in the corner. Tilting her head curiously to the side, she approached them, wondering if one had a flat surface. A smirk grew as she discovered, it did in fact have a smooth side.

Sitting down on one of the smaller rocks, she got to work on smoothing and sharpening the only useable edge. Nascha drew the blade against the rock as she looked around the makeshift campsite. There were so many people… So many teenagers. All of whom were delinquents. Some had been arrested for small things. Like her friends, Jasper and Monty, were arrested for smoking weed on the Ark. It was a stupid reason, just like the reason she was.

_Arresting me for merely defending myself_, Nascha thought angrily to herself as she began to put more of her weight onto the blade in order to sharpen it.

Looking around, she recognized a few faces but most she didn't know. When she was younger, Nascha didn't have the chance to socialize much with kids her own age. Monty and Jasper had been the only two she was able to hang out with, and even then, she did it in secret. No one on the Ark cared that the three were friends, except her father. Her father tried to keep her from the other kids on the Ark for her entire life. He had some notion that friends would distract her from her studies and he wouldn't have any of that. But, when she had run into the two boys when she was younger, they just seemed so nice and at that moment she realized she wanted friends. She wanted to be friends with those two so much. Nascha didn't care that her father wouldn't approve.

Thinking about Monty and Jasper brought a smile to her face. She loved the two dearly. They had been the only people close to her and they were practically family. She sighed heavily as she looked down at her work. Nascha raised the blade in order to inspect it. She gently ran a finger along the edge, and she could feel it slice open her skin ever so slightly. A drop or two of blood began to pool on the tip of her finger. Her smile turned into a smirk as she noted that her blade was now sharp enough for anything she would need it for. Nascha hoped she wouldn't need it too soon though. Carefully, she slid it in between her belt and her pants, trying not to cut her worn-out, black jeans. These were the only clothes she had she couldn't risk destroying them.

Looking around, Nascha noticed the sky was getting darker as the sun began to set. She took a moment to admire the beautiful colors that lit up the sky. Reds and oranges mixed with blues in a furious battle. She had never seen a sunset before and it was absolutely amazing. No one else seemed to marvel upon the sky like she did and she wondered why. Did no one else see the beauty? But, even she was pulled away as she heard a loud clamor not too far from her. Looking in the direction of the noise, Nascha noticed some of the boys had begun to build a fire.

_Maybe not everyone is a dumbass_, she thought to herself with a smirk as she ventured closer to the group.

Nascha felt at a disadvantage amongst the other teenagers. Everyone seemed to know everyone, but not her. She didn't really know anyone. She had heard a few names from Monty and Jasper, but that was the extent of her knowledge. Nascha actually felt alone amongst the chaos around her. Her once excited face began to fall as the thought washed over her. Her shoulders slumped as she took a seat at the edge of the group. She was never one to have a problem with talking with others, but she wasn't that great at making friends. She propped her elbows upon her knees and her chin in her hands as she looked upon the others. As she looked around, Nascha looked upon each person before she eventually landed on the older boy, Bellamy. He must've felt her gaze, because he turned her way. He cocked his head to the side and took a step towards her.

A large weight practically fell onto the log beside Nascha causing her gaze to instantly shift from Bellamy to whoever disturbed her people watching. It was a boy, probably the same age as her, obviously not older seeing as how he was amongst the delinquents from the Sky Box. He had short dirty blonde hair and the darkest brown eyes she had even seen. There was no light behind them. But, he wore the biggest smile.

"So, what are you doing over here, away from all the fun?" he asked with a laugh as he glanced over to the group of kids surrounding the fire.

Nascha raised an eyebrow as a smirk began to grow, "I could ask you the same thing."

A similar smirk appeared on his face, "Well, I took it upon myself to drag this pretty young lady out and have some fun."

Nascha let out a bark of a laugh, "Well, I'm sorry I'm going to have to disappoint ya."

The boy sighed rather dramatically and smacked his hands upon his knees, "Damn. I guess I'm gonna have to join you, until you come around," a half-smirk, half-smile appeared upon his face as he offered a hand, "Dimitri."

"Nascha," she returned, as she shook his hand, "Well, you're gonna be waiting awhile."

He threw his arms up and gestured to the clearing they were in, "If you haven't noticed, we have all the time in the world."

Nascha may have been all smiles, but her mind was working overtime. The way Dimitri looked at her just struck her in a bad way. Maybe she was just overthinking things, maybe she was just wrong. She had conditioned herself to be cautious and weary, especially of men. At this age, they only ever wanted one thing after all. And now, all these teenagers were free for the first time in a long time and they were gonna live it up. Nascha was piecing together little things that Dimitri was doing, things that could be totally innocent. Or not so much. Nascha always went with the latter. Maybe it was his word choice, or those soul-eating eyes, or maybe it was just the smile. Whatever it was put Nascha on edge and on watch.

But she was a decent actress, and didn't let on, "So, what were you in for?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders and he glanced away for a moment, "This and that, what about you? I'm real curious about what you did."

Nascha chuckled bitterly, "Me? I just defended myself."

He raised an eyebrow, "Defending yourself? Seriously? That's ridiculous. They should've put whoever attacked you away."

She pursed her lips ever so slightly, than a sickly sweet smile ghosted onto her face, "Yeah, well. They never got the chance to do that."

Dimitri was a bit taken aback by her words, "What do you mean?"

Nascha gave a sly smile and turned her gaze to the fire and the large amount of people surrounding it. If Dimitri was going to be vague, so was she. As she watched the group she furrowed her brows. The frog boy from early had another kid over the fire and was fiddling with something on the girl's wrist. She cocked her head as she watched on.

"What are they doing?"

"You didn't hear? These wristbands," he gently grabbed her wrist as to prove a point, "Are the only thing that lets that Ark know we're alive. Take them off, and they think you're dead. See?" he questioned, flashing his bare wrist, "I already had mine removed and I can't tell you how liberating it feels," Dimitri sighed and leaned back to prove his point.

Nascha made an agreeing noise in the back of her throat as she stared at the fire and the teenagers that surrounded it.

"You should get yours taken off. You'll love it," the blonde turned to look at her and placed his hand upon hers, "I promise."

There was that grin again. It chilled Nascha and caused every hair on the back on her neck to stand on edge. Not to mention it took every ounce if willpower not to snatch her hand from underneath his and reach for her newly acquired weapon. Nascha took a second to calm herself and to slow her racing heart before she flashed Dimitri a smile.

"I'll think about it," Nascha tried to sound casual as she let out a chuckle.

"Think about it? What's there to think about? If you take this off," Dimitri grabbed her wrist again to emphasize his point, "The Ark will think you're dead. They won't follow us down here. The people who would have floated you won't follow us," with each word his tone rose, either becoming irritated at the thought of the Ark or with Nascha who seemed less than eager to part with her wristband.

"But not everyone up there is responsible for locking us up. What about our friends and family?" Nascha tried to reason.

Those cold eyes widened and his grip on her wrist tightened, "Are you seriously trying to defend them?! They locked us up and were ready to kill us!"

Nascha began to think this Dimitri was locked up for a pretty good reason as she snatched her hand out of his grip, "Hey! I hate the council and the Chancellor just as much as anyone else here, but you can't lump everyone left on the Ark in with them!"

At this, Nascha stood and began to walk away, "Oh, come on, Nascha. We were just talking," Dimitri called after her.

Nascha pivoted on her foot and put her hand up, palm facing the boy, "And now we're done talking."

With that, the auburn haired girl wanted to put as much distance between herself and Dimitri, but she wouldn't risk stepping out into the forest at night and by herself. The forest that had seemed so inviting and mystical now looked eerie and dreadful. If the forest was anything like the ones she's read about, Nascha knew any number of things could kill her. So, the woman had to settle for moving to the other side of the roaring fire; it along with nearly a hundred delinquents now separated her from Dimitri. Even with the warmth of the fire and closeness of the teens, Nascha had her arms wrapped around her chest. Her encounter with Dimitri had left a bad taste in her mouth. The way his demeanor had changed so quickly and drastically was very unsettling in her mind. From the corner of her eye, she caught someone moving towards her side. Turning her head slightly, Nascha realized that the someone was Bellamy. Nascha turned her gaze back onto the fire and the delinquents who were having their wristbands removed.

"Have you come to a decision, Red?" he asked with a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms.

"On which side I'm on?" she asked, already knowing that was what he was referring to.

Bellamy made an agreeing noise in the back of his throat, "Are you on the side of freedom or the side of rules?"

Biting her tongue slightly, Nascha thought over her words, "So I take it this," she inclined her head towards the bonfire and the boy who was currently having his wristband removed, "Was your idea?"

His smirk grew slightly as he nodded his head. Nascha moved to biting her cheek. Nascha didn't care at all if the Ark thought she was alive or not. She had no family she cared about, and her only friends were stuck on Earth with her. So, there was no one who needed to know she was alive outside of Monty and Jasper. But… the thought that Bellamy was declaring it freedom to remove their wristbands and that if they did they would be outside of rules concerned her.

"All groups and societies must have rules. Rules provide structure and some sense of calm. Without them, a society would fall into chaos and discord. You can't have a society without any rules; there'd be nothing but madness," Nascha stated lowly, glancing towards Bellamy as she spoke.

"You're wrong," Bellamy started, "Rules bind and suffocate society. Only without them can it truly be free."

"You can't have one without the other. Freedom can only be known when there's a risk of violating rules and being locked up."

At this point, Bellamy turned to face her entirely, "Are you defending what they did to us?"

Turning to meet him, Nascha raised an eyebrow at his accusation, "First of all, no I'm not. And second of all, us? You weren't locked up. Burrowing a guard's uniform, or however you obtained it, clearly shows you weren't in the Skybox with us when they took us to the dropship. You can't truly call yourself one of us, now can you?"

Bellamy glared at her as his fists clenched, "I may not have been locked up, but I did lose my freedom."

"You lost your freedom? That means, at some point you had it, even in a society with rules," Nascha countered.

Bellamy glared at her, his eyes burning holes through her and he opened his mouth to retort, but someone beat him to it, "What the hell are you doing?"

Both Bellamy and Nascha turned to face the new voice and found it to be Wells. The auburn-haired girl offered him a small smile and a slight wave. She watched as he approached and noticed a limp. It was something she hadn't noticed before, and now that she had, her brows furrowed as she thought about what could have caused it. How much had she missed during her short little nature walk? Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Nascha turned to see Bellamy keep another kid – Mbege, if Nascha remembered correctly – at bay.

"We're liberating ourselves," the dark-skinned man responded with that smug smirk in place, "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're trying to get us all killed," Wells retorted, "The communications system is dead. These wristbands are all we've got. Take them off, and the Ark will think we're dying. That it's not safe for them to follow."

Bellamy's response was quick and curt, "That's the point, Chancellor," snickers and laughter followed in the wake of his words, "We can take care of ourselves, can't we?"

His question brought about the delinquents yelling their agreement, but Wells interrupted, "You think this is a game?"

Wells turned to look at Nascha as he began to speak, but he was soon addressing the whole group, "Those aren't just our friends and our parents up there. They're our farmers, our doctors, our engineers. I don't care what he tells you. We won't survive here on our own," there was a pause in Wells' speech as he turned to face Bellamy, "And besides, if it really is safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?"

Throughout Wells' rant, Nascha had kept a keen eye fixed on Bellamy. She was curious is Wells' words would break through that thick skull of his. If his logic could dissuade this idiotic behavior. For a moment, Nascha thought Bellamy was doubting himself. As Wells spoke of their doctors and engineers, Nascha had seen how the taller man's eyes had glanced around the group. She could see the hesitation and maybe the slightest look of worry – worry that the other delinquents would rally behind Wells. Nascha knew that wasn't really going to happen though, and Bellamy must have gathered that too, because his confidence quickly came back. And when Wells mentioned "our people" the auburn-haired girl knew exactly where this was heading.

"My people already are down," he began, confirming Nascha's suspicious as he gestured to some of the kids behind him, "Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child," as he spoke he walked towards Wells, "Your father did that."

A small part of Nascha realized how much of this simply seemed like a blood feud, seeing as how no one was forgiving Wells for what his father has done, "My father didn't write the laws."

"No," Bellamy agreed with the darker skinned man, "He enforced them, but not anymore. Not here. Here, there are no laws," the other delinquents began to voice their approval, "Here, we do whatever the hell we want whenever the hell we want," their voices became even louder, "Now, you don't have to like it Wells. You can even try to stop it, or change it, kill me. You know why? Whatever the hell we want."

As Bellamy finished, frog-boy yelled at the top of his lungs, "Whatever the hell we want!" and soon it became a chant.

Nascha glanced around the fire and looked upon the utter chaos that was starting to emerge. Everyone was now chanting and to the young woman it sounded like a war cry. And that thought frightened her. She turned to look at Wells and she saw a look of utter defeat and disappointment – not with himself, but for his fellow teenagers. He looked hopeless, trying to stand up to nearly a hundred people who had all been placed in jail by his father. Nascha felt pity towards him, and sadness. Her blue eyes followed him as he stepped before Bellamy, the two glaring at the other. But, before a word could be uttered between a loud crash sounded through the sky. Nascha's head instantly jerked up and noticed an abundance of dark clouds now covering the night sky. And just like that, rain flooded from the heavens. The water was quickly drenching every soul in the area.

"We need to collect this," she heard Wells mention.

Though the logical part of her knew that they should, that they don't know if they'll find clean water, another part of her simply wanted to let the rain wash over her. As she closed her blue eyes, she could hear Bellamy give his newfound slogan as a response to Wells' statement. After a moment, she opened her eyes and found all the delinquents jumping up down and hollering. Some resembled wild animals in her eyes. She looked over the Bellamy who was also simply relishing in the feeling of the water running down his face. Possibly feeling her stare, the man turned to look her in the eyes.

"So, what side are you on?"


	3. Staying Neutral

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry about the long wait, but I also make no promises that this won't be the norm. I'm a busy grad student... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Nascha simply stood there for a moment as the rain pelted her. What side was she on? Part of her wondered what side Monty and Jasper would choose. She knew the boys well enough that they would prefer the "no rules" society. At first, it definitely sounded more appealing. Do whatever you want, whenever you want, who wouldn't want that? But, Nascha had to look past fleeting desires and a carefree attitude. There were ninety-eight teenagers on the ground – plus Bellamy, so really ninety-nine – with no real concept of how to survive. Sure, everyone's taken their Earth Skills classes back on the Ark; some people, like Monty, are super-talented. But not everyone. And it's everyone else that worries Nascha. In order for this makeshift society to survive, everyone will have to pull their own weight. And she knew that wasn't going to happen with "no rules".

But, Nascha also knew if she choose the side of "rules" alongside Wells and the Princess, she would be subjugated to the same type of abuse and jeering from her fellow teenagers. She knew that if she sided with the privileged when the under-privileged was the majority – herself included – she would be ostracized. And that wasn't something she was going to rush towards. She also figured that some of the rules Clarke and Wells would come up with wouldn't benefit the rest of the teenagers, and that wasn't something Nascha wanted. Neither side, given the broad titles of "freedom" and "rules", seemed all that great. There were major issues, in Nascha's mind, concerning both and knowing of these issues, Nascha couldn't put her heart and mind into a decision.

Her blue eyes eventually met Bellamy's as he awaited a favorable answer, "I'm on no one's side, because no one is on mine."

This was definitely not the answer Bellamy was expecting to hear, "What? You have to choose one or the other."

"No I don't," Nascha retorted, "Both sides have major flaws and I'm not going to commit myself to something that I don't fully support. Besides, neither side really benefits me."

For a moment the two just stared at each other. Bellamy didn't really know how to take her answer and Nascha didn't know what her answer would mean for her. Though she didn't put herself directly against him by choosing the "rules" society, she wasn't necessarily winning any favors by choosing a third side. Nascha didn't want to be on anyone's bad side on day one. She didn't know what any of these delinquents were capable of. She had an idea, since they're delinquents after all, but she had no idea how far some of them would go. In truth, her decisions might have just earned her an enemy or two.

"So, what are you going to do then?" Bellamy asked, running a hand through his hair in order to slick it back and remove some of the rain from his face.

The blue-eyed woman slightly shrugged, "Stay alive? What else is there to do down here?" she honestly had no idea what she was going to do, especially if she was on her own.

A smirk found its way onto the man's face, "There's tons to do. We can do whatever the hell we want."

Nascha had to roll her eyes at the newfound catch phrase, "Whatever. You know, Wells is right. We should collect this."

She didn't even wait to hear his response as she offered a small wave, before retreating from the chaos of the teens. They were still cheering and dancing as if they were possessed. Something struck her though as she watched them. They reminded her of the people from her dream, just that morning – which now feels like eons ago. Their dance was less organized than the one from her dream, but it held just as much passion and meaning to them. Once again, she was entranced by their moves. But, unlike her dream, she would not be joining the others. Shaking her head, causing water to fly in every direction, Nascha made her way back onto the dropship, looking for anything that could be used to collect water.

As she walked in, she found Wells with a number of things piled around him, "What's all this for?" she asked as she crouched down beside him.

"I'm trying to figure out the best way to collect the rain water. I'm trying to remember what Pike told us in our Basic Survival class. Damn, it feels like forever ago that we actually learned this," he began muttering under his breath as he looked around his materials scattered about.

"For Pike's model, we'd need clean pebbles, quite a bit of it, sand, a small piece of linen, and charcoal. We don't have any of that," Nascha informed him as she shifted through the supplies, unconsciously sorting them into piles of things she could use.

"How do you remember that? That was like seven years ago," Wells seemed surprised by her ability to recall trivial details – well, now very important details.

The auburn-haired woman simply shrugged her shoulders, "My father was very much invested in my academic career. That type of knowledge was practically drilled into me. And besides, Pike had that refresher course while we were in the Sky Box," she informed the man, not caring too much to talk about her father.

Wells seemed confused by the notion of Pike offering a refresher course to the delinquents, but chuckled slightly, "I understand how dads are. I guess I should be thanking him though, since you seem to know what you're doing."

Nascha's teeth found her cheek quickly and almost instantly she could taste copper, "He doesn't deserve your appreciation."

As she lifted her head up, her blues eyes met Wells' brown ones. She could tell there was a question there, something he was just dying to ask her. Her eyebrows furrowed somewhat as her lips dropped into a tight frown. Wells physically backed off and held his hands up slightly. He wasn't going to press the issue any further and Nascha was thankful for that. A small part of her felt horrible for directing her anger towards Wells, someone who has nothing to do with it, but it was personal and Nascha wanted to keep it that way.

But she still had to clear the air, make sure Wells knew there was no hard feelings between the two, "I think we should just find some container and forget about filtering it for now. Obviously other creatures have survived off it, so it should be relatively fine."

Her blue eyes wandered around the dropship, looking for something to act as a container for the water as Wells interjected, "Yeah, but the other animals have had a chance to adapt to it. It could still be toxic to us."

Nascha knew he had a point, "But what choice do we have?"

The two sat in silence for a moment as they simply stared at each other. The idea of jeopardizing their heath weighed heavily on them. It wasn't just their health, but everyone else's. No one else was concerning themselves with collecting the water, but Nascha had a suspicion that they would use whatever water she and Wells would collect. The number of possible bacteria, chemicals, and whatnot was endless. They didn't know how clean the water was, even if the rainwater had a better chance than lake water. But, they needed water. So the question is whether its better to have water, no matter how dirty it might be, or don't risk it, and not have any water. Nascha didn't want to be the one responsible for making that decision so she waited for Wells to make a choice.

The dark-skinned man sighed heavily as his eyes slid close, "Let's find something to collect the water."

Nascha offered Wells a small smile, thankful she didn't have to be the one to come to a decision. She placed her hand on her knee and pushed herself up. Before she could offer a hand, the boy was already pushing himself up. He stumbled slightly and Nascha reached out to stabilize him. Glancing down, she examined his ankle, remembering that he had a limp not too long ago.

"So, what happened to your ankle?" she questioned as he gained his bearing and she retracted her arm.

"Murphy. He took out his anger towards my father on me," Wells grumbled as he made his way to the wall of the dropship.

For a moment, Nascha furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who in the world Murphy was. She remembered how frog-boy had threatened Wells earlier, so she assumed it was the same man. Nascha still preferred frog-boy. She approached Wells as the two began to scavenge in the dark, searching for some type of receptacle for the rainwater. The two went in different directions and began to look behind every inch of piping. Nascha couldn't find anything with even the potential to be a container.

"Hey, I found something," Wells called out.

Nascha glanced over her shoulder and noticed the man waddling forward with what had to be a thirty-gallon drum. She raised an eyebrow and wondered what that had been used for. A small part of her wondered if the Chancellor and the council had planted things on the dropship they knew the delinquents would use. It wouldn't surprise Nascha, considering both the Prince and Princess were amongst the group. Deciding not to tempt fate, or god, she didn't question it any further and simply accepted it. But, she considered spending some time in the morning going through the dropship in order to locate anything of use. She approached the man and helped him maneuver the drum so it was in the center of the dropship.

"We should line this," Wells began, tilting the drum on its side to peer into it, "Maybe use some insulation lining, or something. You know, to keep it slightly cleaner," he finished, not sounding horribly confident in himself.

Nascha shrugged her shoulders, "Best option we've got at the moment. I'll go see if there's any upstairs."

With that, Nascha approached the center ladder and began to pull herself up. The latch was still open from earlier when the teenagers had originally left the dropship. She pulled her weight up and rested her butt on the floor. Before standing up, she glanced around hoping to find some insulation without having to wander around the entire floor. To her left, she spotted some blue-gray lining already peeling from the metal wall. She approached it and tore off a large chunk, being careful to not cause excessive tearing in the material. After she approved the section in her hands, Nascha turned back to the ladder. As her eyes left the material in her hands, they landed on what seemed to be a few trunks of some sort, stashed against the wall and under some seats. Gripping the lining in one hand, she made her way to a trunk and knelt before it. The auburn-haired woman unlatched the trunk and flipped the lid open. In the darkness, she couldn't make out a thing in the trunk, so she carefully lowered her hand in to feel around. The sudden coolness of metal immediately greeted her fingers before they swept over a thin fabric that made a hissing noise as her nails scraped across it. The trunk seemed to be full of items that had been deliberately placed on the dropship. Nascha's earlier suspicion that the Chancellor and the council had placed things on the ship had been confirmed. Deciding she couldn't do anything with it right now, and not wanting anyone else to know of her discovery quite yet, she quickly latched the lid and pushed it back into its place under the seats. Nascha stood then and ventured down the ladder to the first floor in order to regroup with Wells. Glancing around, the auburn-haired woman couldn't spot the man and she raised an eyebrow.

She wandered outside in hopes to find him setting up the drum and he was. Wells was slowly waddling with the drum, trying to find a place close to the dropship that wasn't covered by the metal. Nascha inhaled deeply, relishing in the smell of the rain and grass, trying to remember the word for that specific smell, before she made her way over. She was still probably ten feet from Wells when she saw frog-boy approaching him from the other side. Nascha wasn't really in the mood to deal with him, so she sped up to reach Wells sooner. She hoped that her presence would deter the boy from whatever he was planning.

"Here ya go," Nascha offered Wells the piece of lining she had retrieved, glancing over his shoulder to look at frog-boy.

Wells began to thank her and explained what his plan was in regards to containing the water. Nascha simply nodded along, not really hearing what he was saying as she held frog-boy's gaze. A sneer found a place on his face as he stood for a moment. He wiped his lip before averting his gaze and walking off. Nascha didn't know what frog-boy wanted but she was glad he turned and walked off. When she was satisfied with the distance between them and frog-boy, she turned her gaze and attention back towards Wells. He had finished his explanation about how he planned to set up the crude and temporary water receptacle.

"I figured we'll tweak it in the morning when we can actually see. We just need to collect the rain for now," he concluded as he reached down to line the metal drum with the insulation.

"Sounds like a plan," Nascha commented as she ran her hand over her bangs, using the rain to plaster them to the top of her head.

Glancing up, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of having hundreds of tiny water drops sprinkle over her body. It was an entirely different sensation than taking a five to ten minute shower on the Ark. The rain made her feel as though she was a part of the world. She felt as though the rain connected the sky to the Earth, and she was privileged enough to stand in its path.

"Our clothes are soaked," she heard Wells mutter, drawing her from her reprieve.

She lowered her head in order to meet his gaze, "We could freeze if it gets too cold."

The thought hadn't occurred to Nascha. She was too preoccupied with enjoying the feeling of the water running down her face. Wells had a point, but, it was already fairly late and the temperature hadn't dipped too low.

"I think we'll be fine tonight. It's not like we have much of a choice anyway," she responded which was followed by a yawn.

As soon as the yawn escaped her lips, Nascha could feel the energy drain from her body. In an instant, she could feel the ache in her muscles having been overly exerted while wandering in the forest earlier. Every fiber of her being was exhausted. For the past year or so, she hadn't exerted nearly as much energy as she had today. Being in the Skybox had made her lazy and somewhat weak. Up until this point, a chemical cocktail of adrenaline and excitement had kept her going, but that was depleted now. Nascha could suddenly feel the soreness in her neck and back from the rough and abrupt landing of the dropship. Everything that had happened during the day was finally catching up with her.

She wished Wells a goodnight as she turned around and ventured towards the dropship. The rain began to lighten up and she wished to enjoy the last of it; however, as much as she longed to stay amongst the trees and lay under the stars – enjoying the view through the leaves more than through the Ark – Nascha was weary of the others. She especially didn't want that Dimitri fellow stumbling upon her as she slept. Glancing over her shoulder, Nascha realized the chaos that had erupted with the rainfall had begun to die down as the rain let up. Some of the other delinquents had already found some cozy little places to lay down with one another. She noted that a few wandered off, hand-in-hand, in order to enjoy their newfound freedom. With a slight roll of her eyes, Nascha turned back around and entered the dropship. Slowly, as to not bump into anyone or anything, she made her way to the ladder and climbed up to the second floor. Hoisting herself up, Nascha's blue eyes tried to adjust to the limited light. Soon, she spotted a seat against the far wall and plopped herself down. It took a minute or so before she found it comfortable enough to manage a few hours of sleep.

Nascha crossed her arms over her chest and tucked her legs into her side. Thankfully, she was able to stretch her legs out slightly to the side since there was nothing blocking her seat from the next. She laid her back against the worn material of the seat as her eyes drifted close. Laughter and exclamations of joy pierced the night sky, overpowering the crackling of the fire that once roared. The rain, which had fallen with such vigor, sounded like nothing more than a trickle flowing from a faucet that was accidently left on. Hazily, Nascha wondered how much water they had managed to collect before her mind dropped the thought, leaving it for another time. As sleep crept further into her body, she could feel each individual muscle relax. Her posture slouched and her arms drooped slightly. Thoughts began to evade her and she didn't have the will to try to hold onto them. Her breathing slowed and as sleep embraced her, Nascha swore her heart was beating in time with the sounds of beast and birds outside. Or maybe it was simply her imagination.

A hushed laugh and mumbled words tickled at Nascha's ear, forcing her to stir and slowly open her eyes. Glancing around, the ship was still dark, indicating the sun hadn't risen yet. Though the ship was dark, her blue eyes had now adjusted to the poor lighting and she could see a body emerging from the hatch. Two bodies. The laughter continued, a bit louder now, as clothes were rustled and shifted. Focusing for just a moment, Nascha realized the position the two were in and soon would be in, as well as who one of the bodies belonged to.

"Nuh-uh," Nascha grumbled, before speaking up, "Next floor, Blake. And you better not keep me up." The words left her lips with almost a growl at the end.

She wasn't the biggest fan of having someone share an intimate moment with another above her. It was even worse because she knew what was about to transpire. Her voice startled the woman who had been laughing and she glanced around wildly. Bellamy was able to pinpoint Nascha's location and she swore she could see the smirk on his tan face.

"I make no such promises, Red. Maybe I can show you-" Bellamy began as his arm snaked around the woman's waist.

Nascha quickly cut him off, "Goodnight Bellamy."

She nearly threw something at the man as he had the audacity to laugh at her before he escorted the woman to the third floor. As the couple moved around and their footsteps reverberated off the metal, Nascha was thankful they hadn't chosen a spot directly over her. Unfortunately, such gratitude was short-lived. Just like their footsteps, the woman's laughter and moans began to bounce off the metal. Soon, thoughts of using her newly acquired and recently sharpened knife on Bellamy entered her mind. Nascha tried physically covering her ears in hopes of blocking out the sound, but it merely muffled it.

She couldn't fault any of the teenagers who had wandered off hand-in-hand earlier. Having grown up on the Ark, Nascha and the other young adults weren't allowed much freedom or privacy. There was never any time for sneaking away in order to have an intimate moment. But now, for the first time in their lives, they were free to do as they pleased. However, that didn't mean Nascha was thrilled about what was transpiring above her. She contemplated leaving the dropship and finding a spot to sleep outside, but she tossed that idea aside quickly. There was a reason she chose the dropship, with all its nook and crannies, to sleep in and that reason went by the name of Dimitri. Their encounter, which lasted no more than a few minutes, set her on edge. There was something off with Dimitri and Nascha had no doubt that there was a perfectly good reason for him being sent to the Sky Box.

_Maybe I'll ask Monty or Jasper if they know what he was in for whenever they get back_, she thought to herself as she tried to focus on the noises outside.

She could hear various calls and screeches from the nocturnal raptors. During her time on the Ark, she had a fascination for owls, hawks, falcons and such predators. Nascha had learned their calls and how to spot them and for the longest time she thought such knowledge was pointless. Now she could put that knowledge to use. She would try anything to distract herself from the noises just above her. A loud screech pierced the night, a sound that almost resembled a hiss. It was a somewhat frightening sound to hear, but Nascha knew it belonged to the Barn Owl.

_Such a beautiful creature, such a terrifying noise_, she thought to herself as a smile graced her lips.

Closing her eyes, Nascha focused on the other calls of the night. A monotone trill, which belonged to an Eastern Screech Owl. The classic "who-who", which belonged to a Great Horned Owl. Nascha felt as though she had her own, personal orchestra just outside the dropship. It seemed as if the owls only sang and called for her. Their calls soothed her mind and enticed her to embrace slumber once again and Nascha wasn't going to argue with that.

Nascha awoke some hours later and was instantly greeted with a jolt of pain and the rumbling of her stomach. She groaned as she lifted her head up from its slumped over position. She had no idea how she managed to sleep so soundly curled up in one of the chairs, but now she was regretting it. Every joint screamed at her as Nascha stretched out. The soreness in her joints was only matched by the pain in her stomach. So caught up was she in the excitement of leaving the Skybox and landing on Earth that Nascha hadn't even thought about eating or food in general. She hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours. Even when the delinquents were in the Skybox they would at least get three square meals a day. They may not have been the largest of meals – then again, no one received large meals – but they were nourishing enough.

Slowly, she stood and fully stretched her sore body. As she stood, Nascha didn't hear much of anything from the other side of the dropship other than a few calls and chirps from various birds. She reasoned it was still early and that the previous night's festivities kept everyone in bed for a while longer. Nascha didn't blame them and if it wasn't for the noises her stomach was making, she would still be asleep. The auburn-haired woman made her way to the ladder and climbed down to the first floor of the drop ship. As she left the comfort and safety of the metal ship, she took a few steps toward the forest. She planned to find some edible plants that she could munch on. Before she entered the forest, though, Nascha realized she had nothing to carry said plants in. Glancing around, she thought back to the trunks upstairs. Maybe they had something. Just before she resigned herself to back tracking, her blue eyes spotted the parachutes from the dropship trailing behind it. They were made from a strong material that wouldn't rip easily.

_It's not like we're going to use them for re-entry again_, she thought to herself as she approached them.

Nascha pulled her knife out from its hiding place between her belt and pants and slashed through the material. It wasn't prone to ripping, but a knife would still do the job. After she cut off a piece, she tied the two ends together and slung it around her neck and the make-shift sling bag hung off her right shoulder. After obtaining her container for the plants, Nascha ventured into the forest and tried to avoid as many passed out teenagers as she could. She nearly stepped on someone's hand when they rolled over and the limb fell where her foot was going. Mumbling to herself, she continued deeper into the forest as she tried to follow the path she took yesterday. Though she hadn't seen any berries last time, she wasn't exactly looking for them and there was a chance she simply overlooked them.

As she wandered deeper into the forest, bushes about thigh-high sporting red berries came into view. Nascha came to stand before them and crouched down so they were at eye level. This was what she was looking for – berries. They appeared consistent with raspberries, but Nascha had to wonder if they were raspberries. Then, if they were, they could contain so much radiation that it would kill her if she ate one. Nascha stayed in that position for some time as she continued to stare at the fruit.

Her stomach growled loudly after a moment. "Well, it might kill me… But so will not eating. And it looks like other things still eat them," she mumbled to herself as she observed some buds where fruit had been before it was bitten off.

With that little bit of encouragement, Nascha set about removing some of the berries from the bush. She made sure not to remove all of them, because she knew other creatures depended on the plant just as it relied on other creatures to pollinate it. After she removed a fair amount, the auburn-haired woman went searching for other plants with similar fruiting bodies. Every time she would come across one, she would contemplate if it was safe to consume, but she always rationalized that she had to eat something. Nascha, eventually, filled up her sling about halfway with assorted fruits and decided to head back to the dropship as the sun began to creep across the sky. She reached an olive hand into the sling and pulled up a variety of berries.

She stared at them for a moment, before she shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well," Nascha mumbled before tossing them into her mouth.

The sweet and tarty flavor flooded her taste buds, which almost caused Nascha to audibly moan. She had never tasted something so fresh or delicious. The artificially grown plants on farm station didn't come anywhere close to the ones on Earth. Everything on the Ark was engineered to provide the most nutrients and vitamins as possible, but for some reason that selective engineering caused them to taste very bland. Nascha had to resist eating her entire cache of berries; she had to save them for later. She walked at a leisurely pace and began to take in the sounds and sights around her. It was still just as beautiful as it was yesterday. Nascha was astonished by all the colors and how vivid they were. She brushed a hand across the tips of leaves as she passed them. The dropship became visible through the trees and the voices of various teenagers filled the air. It didn't take long for their voices to drown out all the birds and scuffling of animals.

A scream pierced the air, drowning out all other voices. The noise rooted Nascha in her spot, but her head swiveled to face it. She hesitated for a moment before she took off in the direction of the scream. She wondered what could have caused the girl to scream – Nascha figured it was a girl based on the high pitch. Her hand gripped the sash at her side so it didn't bounce against her hip; however, she was aware of some of the berries that were bouncing out. The auburn-haired girl weaved between trees and stumbled over exposed roots. She could feel the soreness from the night before start to fade away as her muscles warmed up.

Nascha saw a bunch of teenagers surrounding the source of noise and as she broke through their ranks she found an upsetting sight. Frog-boy held a woman in headlock of sorts and positioned her over a small fire. She stopped in her tracks as her mind couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. To her left, she saw both Wells and Bellamy emerge from the trees; apparently, they too went to investigate the source of the scream.

"Bellamy," the frog-boy called out, "Check it out. We want the Ark to think that the ground is killing us, right? Figure it'll look better if we suffer a little bit first."

Nascha felt her jaw slacken as her eyes narrowed, but before she could even take a step, Wells was on the move. "Let her go!" he yelled as he shoved frog-boy to the ground, successfully freeing the girl.

Nascha skidded down the small hill as she and Bellamy both approached Wells. She parted from the older man and went to the young girl wearing a beanie. She helped the girl up, but she brushed off Nascha's help and walked off in a huff. Not going to fight the girl's lack of desire for assistance, she turned to face Wells and Bellamy.

"You can stop this," Wells urged, slightly out of breath.

"Stop this?" Bellamy began with a smirk, "I'm just getting started."

Nascha saw his eyes flicker to his right and she noticed frog-boy was back on his feet and rearing his fist back. She couldn't get the words to come out fast enough as he landed a solid punch to Wells' cheek before proceeding to sucker punch him in the gut. The auburn-haired girl jumped back, to avoid the fight as the two men continued to wail on each other. The same disgusted look from before found Nascha's face as she stood beside Bellamy.

Frog-boy, who had been knocked to the ground, got up, ran, and grabbed Wells' middle as she turned to face Bellamy. "Call off your fucking attack dog. Why are you letting him do this?"

Bellamy glanced at the woman beside him, but kept quiet as his mouth pursed into a fine line. The chanting of the other teenagers seemed almost deafening to Nascha. She went to take a step forward, to assist Wells, but Bellamy held his arm out, stopping her. Her blue eyes cut to him, demanding to know why he stopped her. He didn't provide an answer and simply shook his head, causing the messy brown hair atop his head to flair around. As she averted her attention back to the fight, she worried for Wells, but also began second-guessing her desire to intervene. Of course, she didn't want to see Wells hurt anymore than he already was, since he was the only one with a good head on his shoulders and understood what the teenagers needed, even if they didn't want it.

_But, they would align me with him and the Princess_, Nascha thought. _I can't get involved if I want to remain off everyone's 'shit list'_.

She locked her jaw as she came to terms with her decision and even took a step back. As soon as she tacitly announced her neutrality, Wells managed to get frog-boy onto the ground and landed a few solid blows in. There was a sickening crunch as Wells fist collided with the other boy's cheek and the other boy stopped moving – though, after seeing his chest rise and fall, Nascha wasn't worried for his life. Wells stood and stepped towards Bellamy. As her blue eyes cut to the man at her side once more, she noticed his shocked expression and even picked up on the step or two he took back.

"Don't you see you can't control this?" Wells gestured to frog-boy lying on the ground as he addressed Bellamy.

Nascha eyes widened as she saw flash when the sun hit frog-boy's homemade knife. He pushed himself off the ground and spun to face Wells' back. "You're dead," he declared as he advanced on him.

Again, Nascha took a step forward, but this time Bellamy beat her to it. "Wait," he held a hand up to frog-boy, gesturing him to stop.

Relieved that this fight was over, Nascha let out a breath of frustration as Bellamy produced a knife of his own. "Fair fight," he told Wells, tossing the knife at his feet.

He walked away from the two and Nascha tried to bore holes into his head. "What the hell are you doing? What's the point of this? What does it prove?" she grilled him, shoving him slightly.

"Wells needs to learn that this isn't the Ark," was all the answer Bellamy offered before returning his attention to the fight.

Nascha's blue eyes frantically glanced between frog-boy, Wells, and the knife at his feet. The Chancellor's son was quick to grab the knife off the ground before frog-boy began to lunge at him. Wells dodged the first two attempts, but as he tried to turn to avoid the next one, frog-boy sliced his arm. Nascha's breath caught in her throat. This just became a whole lot more real. Having knives and actually using them were two different things. She hadn't noticed when the teenagers quieted down, but she could hear every gasp from them as clear as could be.

"This is for my father!" frog-boy yelled, lunging again at Wells.

This time, Wells was quicker than him. He fended off his attack as he reached around frog-boy's head. Wells managed to spin him around and take hold of his hand with the blade while Wells held his knife at frog-boy's throat.

"Drop it!" Wells ordered, trying to end this fight.

Another voice pierced the air, interrupting the fight even further. "Wells!" the Princess exclaimed, "Let him go."

She came down the other side of the valley as Nascha finally moved from her spot. "Hey, he was just defending himself, don't get upset with him," she interjecting, not too happy that Clarke was so quick to jump him.

It took a moment, but Wells finally released frog-boy with a shove. He lunged for him again, but Bellamy stopped him. "Whoa, hey. Enough, Murphy," he almost commanded as he physically held him back.

Bellamy quickly diverted his attention, however, when he noticed his sister limping down the hill with Monty at her side. He wondered if she was all right as Nascha approached her friend. When he handed Octavia over to Bellamy, she gave him a hug, happy to see him. Nascha had become accustomed to not seeing her two friends for so long, but she still missed them dearly. As she pulled away from their hug though, she lightly punched his arm.

"What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed the now sore spot on his upper arm.

"A few minutes. I told you guys I'd be gone a few minutes and then you guys up and leave me to go to Mount Weather," she exclaimed, placing her hands on her jean-clad hips.

Her outburst caught Bellamy's attention as he turned to face the rest of the group. "Where's the food?"

The group seemed to hesitate before Finn spoke up, "We didn't make it to Mount Weather."

"What the hell happened out there?" Bellamy demanded as he assisted his sister.

"We were attacked," Clarke answered.

Nascha's eyes widened as she interjecting, "By what?"

It was then that she glanced over at the raven-haired woman who had an arm slung around Bellamy's shoulders. It was evident that her pants had splotches of blood painting them and wondered what type of creature caused the wound that was hidden from her view.

"Not what. Who," Finn answered her causing Nascha's head to swivel back to him.

"What do you mean, who?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last grounder," Finn explained as he took a seat on a rock.

Everyone remained silent at his explanation, trying to digest what he just told them. Clarke continued on, "Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong."

_I'd fucking say so_, Nascha thought as she realized how dangerous her stroll through the forest could have been.

At any moment, she could have been jumped, and who would have known? The only two who really knew or care about her had been gone and just returned. No one would have noticed she was missing until much later. Nascha's knife in her waistband began to feel like a child's toy. It was nothing compared to some of the weapons she had read about on the Ark. If there were other people here, surely they had tools and weapons and would be adept at hunting game. Did that make her game?

As Clarke continued on about how the radiation wouldn't kill them, Nascha retraced her thoughts. There were only two people who care about her. Monty and Jasper. Her blue eyes frantically began to search the expedition party for her other friend, curious as to why he wasn't with Monty to begin with. As she looked back and forth between the woods and the group, Nascha became more and more anxious as she failed to spot her friend. Her behavior didn't garner much attention as everyone seemed to engross by what Clark was telling them to notice.

"Where's Jasper?" Nascha immediately question when she came to the unsettling conclusion that he wasn't with them.

Clarke's blue eyes met her own frantic ones and the hesitation and trepidation was easily seen. "Jasper was hit. They took him," she trailed off as she looked at Well's arm, "Where is your wristband?"

Nascha hadn't even noticed Well's wristband was missing, but at the moment she didn't care. She was torn between being upset and downright frustrated with Clarke. Jasper's life was more important than a wristband, and Nascha was upset about the quick change in topics. She turned her attention to Monty, but he lowered his gaze in an attempt to avoid her own. The woman's heart leapt into her throat as she struggled to understand what Clarke just told her. One of her best friends had been attacked and taken.

"Taken? Is he still alive?" she hurriedly asked Monty, placing a hand on his shoulder in hopes he would look at her.

He turned his charcoal gaze on Nascha, presenting her with such a broken look that probably mirrored hers. "I… I don't know. We heard him scream."

Though the prospect of him possibly still being alive relieved her slightly, the idea that he was in any amount of pain cut at Nascha's heart. She always wanted to keep Jasper and Monty safe, but she failed at that it would seem. The auburn-haired woman could feel the tears start to pool behind her eyelids as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"Life support on the Ark is failing." Clarke's voice broke Nascha out of her thoughts and pulled her back into the present conversation. "That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again and we need their help against whoever is out there."

Nascha's blue eyes cut, once again, to Bellamy and she noticed the surprised look as he met her gaze. She wasn't angry though, not with him or the situation. The Ark should have told the teenagers how important it was that they were sent down. They were teenagers after all; everyone kept telling them their brains weren't fully developed yet – which is the reasoning as to why the Ark didn't float anyone under the age of maturity – and their decision-making skills weren't necessarily the best. Why would the Ark think that would just follow orders when they were finally free? That was on them. Honestly, Nascha didn't even care. The only two people who mattered to her where already down and one was injured and missing. She figured she had other things to worry about, things closer to home than the Ark. Nascha watched as Bellamy glanced between her and Clarke before stepping away from Octavia. She and Monty instantly moved to her side to make sure she could stand. The younger Blake wrapped an arm around Nascha's shoulders as she wrapped one around her waist.

"We're stronger than you think," Bellamy began, "Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same?" He addressed the mass of teenagers gathered on the hill. "We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore!"

Nascha gritted her teeth as the man continued, "You're fighters, survivors! The grounders should worry about us!" The other teens began to cheer at Bellamy's words as he someone erased any fears or doubts they might have.

_What do they have to worry about? Kids with little knives? Whoever's down here is knowledgeable of the land and has tools and weapons… We're insects to them_, Nascha thought angrily.

She shook her head slightly as she noticed Clarke do the same. The blonde woman began to walk off and Monty gestured to follow her. Nascha left when Bellamy got close enough to help Octavia before she took off to follow her friend and the other woman.

When she was at her friend's side, he spoke to Clarke, "What do we do now?"

"Now we go after Jasper," was her quick response and Nascha couldn't agree more.


End file.
